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Source: http://www.macaudailytimesnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13171&Itemid=28
Population density hinders fight against TB
Saturday, 28 June 2008
by Nigel Huxtable
Tuberculoses infections in Macau and the region remain stubbornly higher than in other parts of the world, partly because of the close proximity in which the population lives, said a health official yesterday.
Although Macau has managed to lower the number of infections by half in the last ten years - to around 70 for every 100,000 citizens - levels seen here and in Asia are likely to remain above more developed parts of the world, Tong Ka Io, director of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention told the Macau Daily Times yesterday.
The Americas report a rate of almost half Macau's infections at 39 per 100,000 of population and Europe 50 per 100,000 people, according to the World Health Organisation.
However last year Macau was well below the average for South-East Asia which is 181 per 100,000 people.
Lower standards of living and the high population density are believed to be responsible for the higher number of TB cases in Macau compared with the West, said Dr Tong.
?The resistance of people [to the disease] is lower and the crowded conditions [help it spread],? he said.
Tuberculosis is particularly contagious and spreads through the air. Those with the disease on the lungs can spread TB by coughing, sneezing, talking or spitting.
The closeness in which Macau residents live naturally helps the disease to spread faster, said Dr Tong.
According to the United Nations World Population Prospects, in 2005 Macau had the highest population density in the world at 18,428 people per square kilometre. Monaco followed at 16,754 with Singapore third with 6,489 people per square kilometre.
Poor ventilation in many buildings and parts of the city can also increase the chance of infection.
Health officials from Macau, Hong Kong and Guangdong met in Macau yesterday to discuss fighting diseases such as TB.
The three regions are working to speedily inform each other of outbreaks.
The best defence against tuberculosis is a fast diagnosis, said Dr Tong. If a person remains untreated he can infect on average 15 people in a year. However the contagiousness of the disease can be eliminated with approximately two weeks of treatment.
The treatment of antibiotics usually must be kept up for more than six months to eliminate it completely.
The disease generally attacks the lungs, however it can also affect other parts of the body including the nervous and circulatory system. Symptoms of TB include chest pain and prolonged coughing however not everyone that is infected will become sick.
Last year Hong Kong reported 5,545 cases or approximately 80 per 100,000 people.
Africa reports the highest infection rate in the world at 343 cases per 100,000. Worldwide the WHO estimates 1.6 million people died as a result of TB in 2005.
Population density hinders fight against TB
Saturday, 28 June 2008
by Nigel Huxtable
Tuberculoses infections in Macau and the region remain stubbornly higher than in other parts of the world, partly because of the close proximity in which the population lives, said a health official yesterday.
Although Macau has managed to lower the number of infections by half in the last ten years - to around 70 for every 100,000 citizens - levels seen here and in Asia are likely to remain above more developed parts of the world, Tong Ka Io, director of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention told the Macau Daily Times yesterday.
The Americas report a rate of almost half Macau's infections at 39 per 100,000 of population and Europe 50 per 100,000 people, according to the World Health Organisation.
However last year Macau was well below the average for South-East Asia which is 181 per 100,000 people.
Lower standards of living and the high population density are believed to be responsible for the higher number of TB cases in Macau compared with the West, said Dr Tong.
?The resistance of people [to the disease] is lower and the crowded conditions [help it spread],? he said.
Tuberculosis is particularly contagious and spreads through the air. Those with the disease on the lungs can spread TB by coughing, sneezing, talking or spitting.
The closeness in which Macau residents live naturally helps the disease to spread faster, said Dr Tong.
According to the United Nations World Population Prospects, in 2005 Macau had the highest population density in the world at 18,428 people per square kilometre. Monaco followed at 16,754 with Singapore third with 6,489 people per square kilometre.
Poor ventilation in many buildings and parts of the city can also increase the chance of infection.
Health officials from Macau, Hong Kong and Guangdong met in Macau yesterday to discuss fighting diseases such as TB.
The three regions are working to speedily inform each other of outbreaks.
The best defence against tuberculosis is a fast diagnosis, said Dr Tong. If a person remains untreated he can infect on average 15 people in a year. However the contagiousness of the disease can be eliminated with approximately two weeks of treatment.
The treatment of antibiotics usually must be kept up for more than six months to eliminate it completely.
The disease generally attacks the lungs, however it can also affect other parts of the body including the nervous and circulatory system. Symptoms of TB include chest pain and prolonged coughing however not everyone that is infected will become sick.
Last year Hong Kong reported 5,545 cases or approximately 80 per 100,000 people.
Africa reports the highest infection rate in the world at 343 cases per 100,000. Worldwide the WHO estimates 1.6 million people died as a result of TB in 2005.